Highlights
- Goodyear PD's July audit of Flock license plate reader activity flagged a policy violation, leading to an investigation that concluded the officer committed abuse of authority, a body-worn camera violation, and dishonesty.
- The unnamed officer resigned Sept. 17, 2026, while the administrative investigation was ongoing; Police Chief Brian Issitt said termination would have followed.
- Glendale police, brought in to assess criminal exposure, found insufficient evidence to support charges.
- Tempe permanently banned automated license plate reader systems earlier this month as Valley agencies grapple with a wave of Flock-related misconduct cases.
A Goodyear police officer who resigned in September would have been fired after an internal investigation found he misused the department's Flock automated license plate reader system and committed three separate policy violations, Police Chief Brian Issitt announced Friday.
The case began during a routine audit of Flock ALPR activity in July, when internal affairs flagged a possible violation of department policy. The officer was immediately placed on leave and cut off from Goodyear PD computer systems. Goodyear then referred the matter to Glendale police to determine whether the conduct could support criminal charges; Glendale investigators later found the evidence insufficient.
The administrative investigation continued in parallel. The officer resigned Sept. 17 while it was still open. When the inquiry concluded, investigators had documented three violations: abuse of authority, violation of the department's body-worn camera policy, and dishonesty.
"Accountability does not end when an employee resigns," Issitt said in a written statement. "Resignation does not erase misconduct, nor does it relieve us of our responsibility to investigate it. We followed this investigation through to its conclusion because our community deserves nothing less."
Issitt added that, based on the findings, he would have upheld the officer's termination had the officer remained employed.
Why are so many Arizona officers resigning over Flock cameras?
Privacy concerns over ALPR systems surfaced across the Valley this summer, prompting a series of agency-level investigations. An Apache Junction officer resigned in August after investigators said he used Flock cameras to track his wife. Days later, a Chandler officer resigned for reportedly using the system to track a family member. The pattern of resignations reflects both the breadth of officer access to the real-time plate-reader network and the speed with which routine audits are now surfacing misuse.
Not every agency is defending the technology. Tempe permanently banned the use of ALPR systems earlier this month. The Goodyear case, reported concurrently by KJZZ and the Arizona Daily Independent, adds to a documented statewide pattern.
Goodyear PD has not publicly named the officer. The department has not indicated whether it will flag the findings to the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board, which has authority to revoke a former officer's certification.
Sources
Every factual claim in this article traces to one of the sources below. See how we work for the editorial process.
- AZ Family (3TV/CBS5) retrieved 23/10/2026 20:40
Authored by The Scottsdale Signal. Drafted by AI from primary-source material under our beat-specific editorial guides; reviewed by humans before publish under our five-gate process. Sources retrieved at 23/10/2026 20:40. Every claim traces to a source.
